Until I Met You
by TeamEthanMorgan
Summary: Just when things seemed to get better for Nico in his new school, he noticed something strange - a lonely boy called Leo sitting in the corner all alone. No matter how much he asked his friends, he didn't get any information from them, but he was determined to find out what was going on with him. Valdangelo.
1. Finding Leo

**Hi, guys! I wanna write a Percico story (since it's my OTP) but then I thought I'd give Valdangelo a try first. I fell for this ship hard, too. By the way, in this AU, the main characters are all juniors, so they're supposed to be around the same age. Anyway, I hope you enjoy.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own PJO. Otherwise, Nico would already be dating someone.**

* * *

One thing Nico hated was going to a new school. He was a junior, and he knew he had only two years left, including this one, but he was sick of all this moving around thing. Hopefully, his father's job might stay stable in one place now and Nico wouldn't have to move to yet another school.

Just when Nico stepped inside the school, eyes were on him. He didn't expect less, really. He brought attention to himself with his mysterious look and dark clothes. He preferred it like this, really. This way, he could send a silent message to everyone, warning them to not mess with him.

Nico quickly got to the principal and got his schedule and locker number. There was no student there, so he finished fast. He directly walked to his locker after that and put a few of his things in there. Just when he was going to close it, a blond with glasses came to open the locker on Nico's left.

"Hey," the blond said. He was smiling too brightly. Nico disliked this already. But not the boy. He didn't seem all that bad.

"Hey," he greeted back, closing his locker.

"You must be new around here," he said. Nico wanted to so badly to get away from him. "I'm Jason Grace."

"Nico di Angelo." He wasn't much of a talker, really, but he wasn't planning on being rude if this was his chance of getting a friend around here.

"Oh, you're Hazel's half-brother. She told us about you," he said. "She also said if I see you, then I should help you with finding your classes."

Nico nodded. He got out the sheet of paper with his schedule in it. What did he have now? "Okay, great. Cause this place looks big and I don't know where math class is."

Jason looked at the door of his locker, pointing at what Nico guessed could be the schedule taped already inside. When did he even find the time to do that this early into the school year?"I have it, too. This makes it easier." Then he motioned for Nico to follow him after he closedhis locker. It was crowded now in the hallways of the school, so it wasn't easy walking or even trying to talk in there.

When they reached the class, Jason immediately took a seat in the second row. Maybe because the first row was already filled. Nerd, Nico thought. He wanted to go to the row behind, but Jason wouldn't let him go without a talk. He grabbed his arm, the grin he had before still on his face as he said, "You know, you're not as dull as I thought you'd be. Your sister says you have this... vibe. I think she's exaggerating." Nico's eyes got too distracted, so they moved to look at the back row, and sitting there in the corner was a dark haired boy, looking down at his desk, a depressing look on his face.

"Thanks. Though you still don't know me yet," he said, still eying the boy behind. He really shouldn't be distracted by him. Switching his gaze back to Jason, he saw that Jason noticed who his attention was on. There was suddenly a sad look on his face. Ignoring this little scene that happened, Nico sat behind Jason. Thankfully, the class had only four rows, so really, he wasn't in front. Besides, he didn't mind since he got to sit near someone he knew.

Jason leaned back until he was too close to Nico's ear. There was no ignoring that topic, was there? It was a good thing the other boy was on the right side of the class unlike Jason and Nico who were on the left side near the door.

"The boy behind that you were looking at? He's Leo Valdez," Jason whispered. "He's a good guy, but people don't socialize with him. I know that 'cause we used to be friends. But a tip for you: don't talk to him."

"Why not?" he asked. It wasn't as if he talked to people much, but this got his curiosity.

"Because half the school doesn't like him. If you talk to him, your school life is over."

Nico looked back at Leo, but this was a big mistake. The boy noticed the whispering. And his hurt face looked like he thought they were talking behind his back. If that wasn't bad enough, Nico looking at him confirmed that the whispers were about him. Leo once again looked back at the table, but this time with a blank look on his face. Of course he'd be hurt. He just watched his old best friend whispering something to the new students about him. How could he not get hurt?

Despite the looks on Leo's face, he wanted to ask Jason why the school hated him, but the bell rang, and when it finished ringing, the teacher walked in along with more students. A beautiful girl smiled at Jason and sat down beside him. He heard Jason say, "Hey, Piper." And by the affectionate look on his face, he guessed they were dating. Or maybe he just liked her.

Then, the teacher shushed the students and started talking.

* * *

With every minute that passed, the curiosity to know what was going on with Leo was growing. He wanted to ask Jason so badly, but the class was too quiet to even whisper in. Besides, Jason was too distracted by Piper.

The time seemed to go slowly, so when the bell rang, it was a blessing. Now, he was desperate for an answer, but he couldn't just ask. When Jason stood up, he looked back at Nico and smiled. "Nico, this is Piper, my girlfriend." He guessed so. "Piper, this is Nico. He seems dark and stuff, but he's not that bad."

"Don't listen to him. He didn't get to know me all the well. Yet." Nico said, a smug look on his face as they walked outside.

"If he's saying "he's not that bad" that means you're already friends. That's it. He likes already," Piper said.

Nico looked back at Jason. "Why, thank you. I like you, too. See? Already making friends here." He had meant it to sound sarcastic, but it accidentally came out friendly. He usually wasn't this way.

"Nico!" he heard someone shout excitedly. He recognized that voice.

He turned his face towards the source of the noise, and just as he expected, Hazel was there. But she wasn't the only one. There were two boys behind her. One of them he recognized. It was Frank, her boyfriend who he'd see at her house a few times. He was big and muscular, but he sweet and nice, unlike what his appearance showed. The other was about Jason's height. He had green eyes and dark hair. He didn't know if he should like him. He grinned a lot. Even more than Jason, if possible.

He didn't see Hazel much, really. He lived with his mother, but she lived with her own motherplus their father. Though, they didn't share the same last name. Hazel had her mother's maiden name.

She knew he didn't like hugs, but she gave him one, anyway. When he didn't hug her back, she let go on him, looking a bit awkward. "Sorry. Forgot." But she still smiled despite that. She always did. "Guys, this is Nico."

The green-eyes boy laughed, saying. "Yeah, we noticed, but let's pretend you didn't scream his name a second ago." He extended his hand. "Well, Nico, I'm Percy Jackson."

He hesitated before shaking Percy's hand. He wasn't used to such friendliness, but everyone here seemed nice, unlike everyone in his other school. Because of how skinny he was, he was always teased. Now he could have a fresh start here – even if it meant hanging out with people who had blindingly bright smiles that he felt like wearing sunglasses. It was okay with him.

* * *

Lunch time came slowly, but it was a blessing when it did. All-the-teachers-introducing-themselves thing was tiring. First days were always like this, he supposed.

He was lead to the cafeteria by Frank, who was the only one who had the previous class with him. Frank said it was wiser to go to the cafeteria before putting their stuff in the lockers. Otherwise, there would be a huge line waiting for the food to be put on their trays. When they got their food and paid, they sat where the rest were. Already, Nico felt comfortable with his friends – something he never did until now. Though, there was a blonde sitting beside Percy. She had amazing grey eyes and she was holding his hand, laughing. They were dating, he guessed. Was this group really made of couples? Who were friends?

When he and Frank approached, the ones present at the table looked at them. First, the blonde smiled and introduced herself. Her name was Annabeth. He had heard about her. An honor student Who was always nice to everyone.

Then they were all back to laughing and talking once his sister and Piper were there. Whilethat happened, Nico's eyes landed on Leo. He felt bad for him. What happened?

It looked like Jason was reading his mind or something because he said, "I know you're curious. I'd tell the story of what happened but..." His expression turned sad. "I can't."

Piper put her arms around him and whispered a few things that none of them could hear. Then she turned to Nico and said, "We used to be friends with him, but Leo was his best friend. He feels especially guilty for leaving him."

That didn't stop Nico from asking a question. "Were you involved in said story?"

Percy shook his head. "He wasn't. I'll tell you what happened, but not here. Not now."

"And leave me with the suspense?" he joked.

That seemed to brighten everyone's mood except Nico's. He wanted to find out what happened, and if his sister's friends weren't going to tell him, he had to find out for himself. He needed to talk to Leo himself.

* * *

**Yay! I'm done with this! Hope you liked it!**

**Until next time…**

**-TEM**


	2. The Right Direction

**Now, I bring you a hopefully more exciting chapter of Until I Met You. After those few fun chapters I'll write, the fun will begin. I have planned this story fully.**

* * *

Nico went inside the library after he saw Leo enter it. The first day, since no one told him _a thing_ about Leo, Nico decided to investigate himself. When the next day came, Nico was determined to talk to Leo. At least privately if he didn't want to do it publicly.

Now it was lunch, but Leo wasn't eating in the cafeteria like the previous day. Nico didn't blame him. The cafeteria was too public, so the library was a good choice. Only a few people entered there and those students tended to be the nerdy, good kind.

Walking in, Nico noticed a lady behind a computer screen by the door, typing away as a few students held books on the desk, waiting to get approval to burrow this book. All around, there were bookshelves, some along the wall, some lined up in rows. Each section was labeled with "Fiction", "History", "Dictionaries", and so on. Here and there were a few rectangular tables with many seats for students to sit in.

Leo headed to the science section. For the first time, Nico saw a smile on Leo's face. He wondered how lonely he was and how _this_ has become one of his few sources of happiness. Was it that horrible in school that he'd pull away from people and depend on printed paper?

He gently started to walk towards Leo. Or the science section, really. He didn't want to appear to be following Leo, so he started to "roam around" the section, pretending to look for a certain book. He took a hold of a book and put it back, all the while sneaking glances at Leo. Finally, he went beside Leo and put his fingers on some books as if curious, wondering which to pick.

Taking his chance, Nico looked at Leo and put on a smile. Well, if he'd call it that. He wasn't very good at being happy or cheerful. "Hey. Leo, right?"

Leo's head went to face the opposite side of where Nico was standing. There was something in his action that made Nico regret this. He didn't seem so social. "Don't bother," he said. This was the first time he spoke in front of Nico. Gosh, his voice was . . . nice. "I know Jason's been talking about me to you. Just leave me alone."

Nico knitted his eyebrows. Why was he like this? "Why don't you want to talk? I'm not a bad person." Maybe his appearance gave this off, but he wasn't. According to Hazel, at least.

He took a book out and walked towards a table. "Can never be sure. Not like I know what you'll want to talk about. Could be you trying to be an asshole like everyone else." His voice was bitter but it lacked anger. It had more of a sad tone to it.

Nico felt a bit angry but he couldn't really be mad at Leo. If people really _were_ treating him badly, he had the right to assume the worst. He went after Leo, frustrated. "Look, I'm not a horrible person."

Leo opened the book. "Please. I've met people like you. They're always horrible."

"Just because I wear black doesn't mean I'm bad. Besides, you don't know me," he said. He was getting tired of him, but at the same time, he understood Leo. He was sort of like Nico in his old school. An isolated outcast. "I know it's hard to trust people, but I think maybe I can help."

He snorted. "No one can help."

Nico wanted to speak, but his stomach growled, demanding some food. "If I wasn't so hungry, I'd continue this." He got up. And for the first time since entering the library, Leo had actually looked at Nico in the eyes. Something told him this wouldn't be easy, but it would be worth it. "I'm not giving up on you, Leo… Van Dale?" he asked with a squinting eye.

"Valdez," Leo corrected, looking down at his book, obviously avoiding Nico's face. Oh, no. Was that a wrong thing to do? Forgetting his last name?

He started walking away, thinking about all that has happened. This was going to be hard on him, but he'll try. Oh, he'll try.

* * *

Nico ended up being late for lunch and had only spent time with his new friends for a few minutes before the bell rang. So he got up and headed to biology class with Jason and Annabeth. Both were talking the whole while. Annabeth was complaining about a new rule in her book club that she thought didn't make sense while Jason warned her not to rebel. Nico ignored them.

He was thankful when he reached class, really. Still, Jason, with a big smile, decided to sit by Nico. "Hope that's fine with you."

Nico nodded approvingly. That was when he noticed Leo walking to his seat in the corner. Nico looked him, but Leo didn't do the same. His eyes were either on his desk or on the ground. This was harder than he thought it was.

A few minutes passes and when the teacher noticed that the class was full, he started the lesson. Nico tried his best to focus on class, but he couldn't. Biology was not his favorite subject. Besides, he was too distracted by a certain someone sitting in the corner of the room. If Leo was in sight, he would've been ever _more_ distracted.

"Nico di Angelo?" he head the teacher say. He looked up with a lost look.

"Sorry?"

The teacher sighed. "Someone wasn't paying attention." He turned to look at the rest of the students. "Valdez?" All the heads turned to look at him.

Leo didn't look up to show that he heard the question, but he did seem like he took notes. Must've been hearing the teacher the whole time. He muttered something. No one heard him.

"Can you repeat that in a louder voice?" asked the teacher.

Leo's shoulders went down in an obvious sigh. "To maintain the body's temperature." It was still low, but it was heard. Gosh, Nico wished he could help him. He was so shy around people.

The teacher nodded. "Excellent." He looked back at Nico. "Pay attention next time, alright?"

Nico looked at his empty notebook and nodded. He really needed to focus. When the teacher resumed his lesson, Nico started to take notes. He noticed how Jason looked worried, but he pretended to not see that. Nico was not a concern at the moment. Leo was. And till now, no one was telling him why Leo was lonely.

The bell rang after what seemed like ages later. The lesson was extremely boring, and he itched to talk to Leo. He got up and headed for the packing Leo. Before he could even get away from the table, Jason seemed to notice what Nico wanted to do and put his hand in front of his chest. He shook his head. He had always seemed so happy, but he had never seemed so guilty. He had a soft spot for Leo. He knew it. So why was he doing this?

He turned the other way and headed to the door, not even bothering to look back at Jason.

* * *

As Nico walked home, he didn't think things could get more peaceful. At the moment, he didn't have to think about Leo, or the stares people usually gave him when he walked by, or the difficult lessons he was trying to understand. He was just with himself. Maybe he could go home now, take a nice, hot shower, and then sleep. Of course he'd have to do homework later, but that was something to dwell on later.

Suddenly, a voice broke the peace in his mind. "Nico! Nico! Wait up!" But he couldn't be mad because that voice belonged to Hazel. He loved Hazel too much to be mad at her. He turned around to look at her. She was at the moment beside him, but it seemed that before that, she was running judging by the panting and the slight shine on her forehead. "Hey, I called Dad and he said I can spend time with you and Maria."

Oh, great. A guest. His plans of relaxation were ruined now. "Okay."

He began walking, which Hazel did as well, but he could notice from the corner of his eye that she was knitting her eyebrows together, studying him. "You alright?"

Nico nodded. "Yeah. Why?"

She shrugged. He wondered what she saw on his face. "It's just that you look so distracted."

Nico tried to not react to that. Instead, he looked straight ahead blankly. He had mastered the act of deceiving and acting a long time ago. "Doesn't mean I'm not doing fine." That wasn't a lie, though. He really was alright. He was just a bit curious about Leo. Maybe he was worried for him, but that wasn't the point.

"But you _are_ distracted," Hazel stated. Darn. He did confirm it, didn't he? "What's going on?"

Nico shrugged. "Curiosity killed the cat, didn't it?"

"But satisfaction brought it back. So what did you want to know?" She raised an eyebrow and nudged him. "Is it Leo again?" She seemed so tired of this topic and he understood why. He always asked about Leo and now it seemed like such a boring and repetitive topic. Nico simply nodded. "Look, we'd tell you, but we think that Leo would be mad if we did. He might think we're whispering stuff about him. It's better if he tells you himself."

"Oh," he said. How much did they care about him? Actually, how close were they before? So he asked her that.

"We were really close as friends." She laughed. "He even dated me for a while before he realized he's also into guys."

He nodded, thankful he at least got something about Leo. But he still remained a mystery. So now he knew that he should keep asking Leo. And it seemed that he was heading to the right direction with this.

* * *

**TADA! Two updates, two days, for two fanfics. I'm on fire! Anyway, until next time...**

**-TEM**


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